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F.D.A. Seizes Documents From Juul Headquarters
The Food and Drug Administration conducted a surprise inspection of the headquarters of the e-cigarette maker Juul Labs last Friday, carting away more than a thousand documents it said were related to the company's sales and marketing practices.
The move, announced on Tuesday, was seen as an attempt to ratchet up pressure on the company, which controls 72 percent of the e-cigarette market in the United States and whose products have become popular in high schools. The F.D.A. said it was particularly interested in whether Juul deliberately targeted minors as consumers.
"The new and highly disturbing data we have on youth use demonstrates plainly that e-cigarettes are creating an epidemic of regular nicotine use among teens," the F.D.A. said in a statement. "It is vital that we take action to understand and address the particular appeal of, and ease of access to, these products among kids."
Previously: Tobacco Roundup (U.S. to Crack Down on Tobacco, Electronic Cigarettes)
E-Cig Maker Juul Valued at $15-16 Billion
(Score: 5, Funny) by VLM on Thursday October 04 2018, @12:39PM (7 children)
I find it interesting how in "big lie" propaganda fashion no one is directly attacking the claim they target kids.
I don't do the vape thing but I've hard coworkers who get all stinky so I'm tangentially familiar with it.
So F it, I go to juul labs website and assume "targeting minors" means the flavors are all shit like "count chocula" "bubble gum" "doritos" or basically stuff my own kids would probably like. And instead, juul labs is selling stuff like:
"Limited Edition Cool Cucumber." because there's nothing kids love more than vegetables
"Virginia Tobacco." OK well if your teen already is addicted to tobacco smoke, the problem is parenting not the some juice maker. It would be like making a flavor called "oxy pills" if your kid is already addicted to oxy the problem is the kid is addicted to oxy not that someone made a juice that tastes kinda like chewing on oxy pills.
"Fruit Medley. Peaches, grapes and berries with herbal notes." Yeah nothing teenage boys love more than fresh grapes with herbal notes.
I mean, what the hell?
I get it if they advertised vape flavors named "cheerleader panties" or "monster energy drink" or something similar that teens or subpopulations of teens might like, but what can they possibly sell to make it less appealing to kids given that they're already selling friggin vegetables?
Is the FDA seriously demanding flavors like "musty elderly grandperson" or "singed broccoli" or "mcdonalds grease trap" or "Eau de geometry teacher" or "dumpster fire" ?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 04 2018, @01:57PM
The goal is to waste fda resources on this crap so they cant make sure the food and water and medicine contains what its supposed to, and only that.
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Thursday October 04 2018, @02:04PM (1 child)
That same line struck me as well. Which amendment authorizes fishing expeditions?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 04 2018, @04:35PM
The unwritten one: power corrupts.
Or, might makes right, if you prefer.
Or, the Golden Rule. Nobody has more (fake) gold than the government.
(Score: 2) by Taibhsear on Thursday October 04 2018, @03:03PM
Here's the thing though, back when I was growing up they banned Bidi's for the same reasoning as here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beedi [wikipedia.org]
If they can ban those, they should ban these. At least, that's the reasoning. However, as long as they just plain don't allow advertising for them I'd say leave them legal. You have to be 18 (some places increased the age to 21 now I believe) to buy the things anyway and they've been REALLY serious about checking ID's since I was a kid. I do see the arguments against selling non-nicotine e-cigs to minors though as it's a bit of a grooming type behavior to get them used to it before getting them hooked on the nicotine versions.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Thursday October 04 2018, @06:28PM (2 children)
You're way behind the times. There's 20-somethings here vaping bubble gum passion fruit punch with a hint of quinoa or whatever the fuck is hip and trendy. Beside, the kids been getting their "cheerleader panties" kicks from the internet as soon as they are smart enough to type "naked girls" in google.
Anyway, I call it drool, as in "You have to be a drooling retard to buy one."
Anecdote time: A former part timer at work, real young kid, bout 19-20, was all about the juul when it came out (year or two ago, maybe more?). He was this energetic schemer who sold weed on the side and worked regular jobs to cover his money trail. Anyway, he was raving about the juul because to him it was just so cool, and never mind how he was captivated by the ceo who thought it up and made a mint. But the thing that he said to me which makes me not surprised at all about these allegations: "All my friends and even the high school kids are buying this shit like mad." And to add to that, another coworker was on holiday around the same time in the Dominican Republic and met a young, fellow american tourist who was vaping a juul. She asked him what that was and he told her it was a juul and it was the hottest thing going.
No one in my age group of late 30's has ever touched one or even knows of it. But the young kids are all in the know apparently. Makes you wonder...
(Score: 2) by sjames on Friday October 05 2018, @01:25AM
In many respects, the FDA has nobody to blame but themselves. With all of their rumbling about regulating e-cigs, they made the mom'n'pop operations wonder if it was time to move on, and convinced the corporate types that the time had come for big players who could deal with the regulation and count on the same to keep the many many vastly superior small players out of the market.
The Mom'n'pops actually cared if teens bought their products. The corporate types see only money as usual.
Had the FDA just kept quiet, it would still be just the Mom'n'pops and the steaming piles made by R.J. Reynolds that seemed mostly designed to convince people e-cigs could never replace tobacco.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Friday October 05 2018, @12:04PM
Fair enough, but the "big lie" is Juul is marketing to kids, because if you look at what they're marketing, its vegetable flavors.
They may be a success, but its not because kids love vegetables.